Summer Corn Chowder

What food defines summer days better than fresh corn on the cob? If you can bear to cut the corn off and use it for a recipe, then I highly recommend this chowder I found at Amy Bites, here.

I made a few adjustments (doubled the recipe, replaced the bell peppers with pimientos because I had a jar in the pantry that needed using, and added about a cup of cream).

I also strongly suggest trying it garnished with sliced smoked sausage, browned until crisp. The saltiness/smokiness adds another dimension not to be missed.

Also, it only gets better in the fridge and my kids gobbled it up. Win!



Shared with: Tatertots and Jello

Summer Skirt Tutorial (sewing without a pattern)

Mimi and Paw Paw took our four-year old to see the Winnie the Pooh movie on Thursday, then to lunch and a little playtime at their house.

It was wonderful for all of us!

I was able to put the baby in bed for a long nap and check a project off my list.

Understand that I am a completely self-taught, short-cut-taking novice when it comes to my sewing machine. But even I was able to finish this puppy in under two hours (with plenty of interruptions and overlock stitching all the edges).

This skirt would probably take a more advanced seamstress less than an hour. You know, it would probably even take me less than an hour the next time around.

I love it! I even wore it to see Harry Potter with my mom and mother-in-law (who saw two movies that day) the same night.

Okay, so here's how I did it.

Materials:

2 yards of fabric
a skirt that fit me perfectly (more on that later)
thread to match fabric
fabric scissors
straight pins
pencil for marking fabric
zipper

1. Wash and dry your fabric, then iron it out. Lay it flat, right side up. Place a skirt (inside out) on top. If you don't have a skirt to use, measure your waist and divide that number in half), then take the measurement from waist to knee, or however long you want it to be. Using the picture above as a guide, sketch a skirt shape that is slightly bowed at both the waist and hem with an A-line shape. It might help to do this on newspaper first, to give yourself a pattern.

2. Pin the skirt (or paper pattern) in place. Before cutting the fabric, measure and mark an extra 1" allowance for the waist, 2" for the hem and 1/2" for the sides.

3. Fold the fabric so you can cut both pieces at once and cut it out. You can cut them out separately if you prefer. That would probably be best for patterns and stripes so everything will line up from back to front (I didn't and mine somehow worked out. Shortcut-taker right here.)

4. Now would be the best time to use an overlock stitch for those raw edges to prevent fraying.

5. Right sides together, place both pieces on top of each other and pin in place. Leave an opening for the zipper.

5. Stitch up the sides with 1/2" seams (except where the zipper will need to go).

6. Pin the zipper in place and use your zipper foot to sew it in.

7. Iron the waist down by 1/2". Fold it once more, iron and pin it in place.

8. Stitch the waist in place.

9. Iron the bottom hem up by 2". Pin it in place.

10. Use a blind stitch to sew it in place, close to the open edge. You're done!

If you want to create a tie like I did, cut another piece of fabric that is 4-1/2" x 8-1/2 feet (you can make it however long and wide you like). I pieced mine together using what I had left over from the skirt. Iron it in half, width-wise, right sides together and stitch it along the long open edge and one short end. Turn it inside out, press it flat, fold the open edges under on the short end and stitch them down.



Shared with: I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Sew Chatty, Today's Creative Blog, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello

Library Book Tote

This summer has been stuffed full with swimming lessons, road trips, standing in front of box fans, microwaving as much as possible to keep the kitchen cool and library time.

It's hot. And dry. And hot.

A nearby town has the best air-conditioned library anyone could ever ask for (do I sound menopausal or circa 1946?) and we make at least two trips a week for story time and to stock up on new books.



I made my little bookworm a fun tote bag to lug around all those hardbacks (and crayons and McDonald's toys and used Kleenexes). There's enough room for everything!

Please just ignore that binding job. I do.



I found my tote bag tutorial from JCaroline Creative here.

Here is a great tutorial for machine binding from Red Pepper Quilts. I obviously had not found this great tutorial when I made this bag.



I have used this same tote bag pattern to make several more bags; they are great gifts for anyone, not just kids.



Shared with: I Heart Naptime

Thursday's Theme: {Summer Boredom Busters}

I'm starting a series on Thursdays where I will feature ten of my current favorites. 

This week, I wanted to spotlight some of the amazing ideas I collected for summer kid fun. Enjoy!

Go on a Happy Hunt!

Backyard Bowling Alley

make a pinata out of paper sack

Recycled Can Robots

Noodle and Balloon Game

Paper Plate Paddles and Balloon Game

Shish-Kabob Ball Drop Game

How to make a simple water gun holster

Recycled Bottle Ring Toss

DIY Water Wall

Defining Summer

"Ode to the Sprinkler" by Gary Soto

There's no swimming pool on our street.

Only sprinklers on lawns.

The helicopter of water slicing our legs.

We run through the sprinkler, water on our lips.

Water dripping from eyelashes.

Water like fat raindrops that fall from skinny trees when you're not looking.

I run like a monkey in my orange swimming trunks, jumping up and down, pounding the mushy grass with my feet.

Tutorial: Pencil Eraser-Stamped Elephant T-Shirts

My baby's first birthday is just around the corner. We're doing an elephant theme and decided to go with a bold color palette.

If you want to see the elephant and invitations I designed as a starting point, click here.

I recently stumbled upon this technique (done with stamping ink) on Pinterest, and wanted to put my spin on it, but with fabric paints.

For party favors, I  decided to use my elephant and create dotted, stenciled t-shirts.

Here's what I did:

1. cut your stencil from card stock and apply to your t-shirt with double-sided tape.

2. Use a different pencil eraser for each color and stamp away!

3. Make sure you dot around the stencil's edges to create a clear outline of your shape.

This was a FUN project! 

Oooh, I'm thinking about doing this with my boys' names in different shades of the same color.

And, if I am feeling like a fun mommy, I might just let my 4-year-old take a stab at it.

Stripped down to his undies. Outside. On Newspapers. 

PS: I have a lot more birthday stuff to share so keep checking back.

Shared with: Somewhat Simple, Tatertots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal

Orange Dreamsicle Sugar Scrub

I am now offering a beautiful brand-new eBook, A Year of Sugar Scrubs, 24 Original Recipes for Hand and Foot Scrubs. It is organized by month and is loaded with delicious (never before seen) scrub recipes, like Caramel Frappe, Pina Colada, S'mores and more! Each recipe can be easily whipped up in your kitchen with common ingredients. I know you'll love it!

Click here to find out more!

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My Favorite Peach Cobbler

When I was eight years old, my family drove from Texas to Tennessee in our brand new car for a summer vacation.  

The last night of the trip, my mom made this for dessert and I kept sneaking back into the kitchen for an extra spoonful. Before my mom caught me, I'd eaten nearly the entire pan.

So the next morning, we got in the car and started the drive back. I fell asleep in the back seat and woke up feeling not so good.

Well, I guess I ate a little too much cobbler and became a bit ill. In the car. The brand new car. At the beginning of a long drive back to Texas. In the middle of summer.

Don't ask me why I didn't tell anyone to pull over. I have no answers now just like I had no answers then.

And my sisters and parents just can't seem to forget that unfortunate experience. 

Um... Bon Appetit! 

I'm all about sharing appropriate and appetizing anecdotes.

Peach Cobbler

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

2 cups peaches (fresh is best)

Whisk sugar, flour and milk together. Stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9 x 12 pan. Sprinkle the peaches on top. Sprinkle extra sugar on top if you wish. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Shared with: A Bowl Full of Lemons, Tatertots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal, The Creative Crate, Centsational Girl